


A Girl Worth Fighting For

by Timessa



Series: Rekindling Flames [2]
Category: The Owl House (Cartoon)
Genre: Aged up 20 years old, Assassin Luz, Competent Luz, F/F, Future AU, Lots of Lumity Drama, Lumity
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-17
Updated: 2020-11-22
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:33:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27522349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Timessa/pseuds/Timessa
Summary: Luz was an assassin, a hand for hire, one who never lost a battle, one who never failed a mission, and one who never showed mercy. She killed for the coin and bread on the table, never looking back, never questioning her morality.That is, until she discovers her next target— Amity Blight, a witch who reminded her of what it was like to live, to TRULY live, a witch who accepted her despite what she'd become, and a witch who never stopped looking for her, even after six years. Luz never believed in second chances, but there it was, her second chance in the form of a green-haired witch.After refusing to kill Amity, Luz faced many obstacles in her path of becoming a free woman— a Juggernaut, a failed mission, and a very pissed-off Leader.Earning her freedom was no easy task, but she pulled through.However, upon realizing that she had no "home" to return to, Amity suggested heading towards "the resistance," an organization founded by Eda and Lilith to overthrow Belos' rule. There, she believed lay the secret to a new life.And so the story continues as the duo make their way to a much-needed reunion
Relationships: Amity Blight/Luz Noceda
Series: Rekindling Flames [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2011462
Comments: 43
Kudos: 190





	1. The Makings of a Monster

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, a bit word-heavy so come prepared :)

Luz awoke to the smell of roast chicken. She opened her eyes, greeted by morning sun. It was just yesterday that she left with Amity to head to the resistance, along the way they decided to set up camp at night, agreeing that they were in no rush to reach the place. Besides, being the leader of the exploration coven, Amity was eager to venture forth and discover phenomena she'd never seen before. At the border of the dark forest, a couple miles behind the knee, they set up camp and slept for the night.

Now back to the chicken. 

Her nose twitched, very accepting of the delight it was experiencing. She felt her stomach grumble, wanting a part of whatever that delightful smell was. Grunting softly, she lifted her eyelids which felt like heavy-caliber lead and sat up, rubbing her eyes. 

"I'm coming _Mama_ ," she called out, mind swirling and vision slightly blurry. 

Then she froze, her eyes focused on the familiar interior of the tent as her sight became clearer.

_Right,_ _I live here now_ _, in the Boiling Iles,_ Luz hung her head, slightly disappointed. The smell had reminded her of the days her mom woke her up for breakfast. Those bright mornings, her mom threatening her with tickles if she refused to get out of bed, and the delicious meal her mom always had on the table when arrived. Luz smirked, reminiscing days on the _human world_. 

Fortunately, despite that brief _flashback_ , the smell itself wasn't a hallucination, it was _real._ Something _was_ being cooked outside. Luz could hear the sizzling oil and some sort of boiling pot outside the tent. The smell of chicken permeated through the entrance and went straight for her senses.

The effect it had on Luz was huge, her mouth began watering as she licked her lips. She couldn't remember the last time she's ever eaten anything better than "grub," a tasteless, bland, and plain meal that only served to refill her energy. For the first time in a long time, Luz could feel the craving deep beneath her skin.

_But I don't cook_

Luz, curious of this _miracle_ , peeked outside. Her eyes widened upon spotting Amity. She was mixing something in a medium-sized pot which was sitting on top of fire. In front of her, a blanket of leaves weaved together like an apron protected her from droplets of stew escaping from the pot. She was humming a mellow tune as her hand swirled the soup with a wooden ladle. Her face looked bright as usual, her mouth sporting a wide grin as she felt the beat of her song. 

Amity then turned back, letting go of the ladle and walking to a bunch of ingredients laying on the ground. Luz's heart jumped a bit as the ladle started sinking, but to her surprise the ladle began spinning the contents of the pot on its own, like it had come to life. It spun the pot in a rhythmical motion, programmed to do so by Amity. 

_Amity can do animation?_ Luz thought to herself, then she glanced at the small pile of fruits, vegetables, and spices Amity was staring at. _We didn't gather any of those before we went to bed_. She wondered when Amity found the time to find so many ingredients in such a short notice. There were potatoes, carrots, leeks, and even some pieces of bell pepper, _vegetables_ that were pretty difficult to find in such a despondent forest.

As if on que, Luz heard tiny footsteps approaching Amity's way. Her initial reaction was to prepare for a fight, but she stopped herself once she saw what approached Amity. A couple of pygmy stone golems, each about a foot high, carrying various forage from their trip. They lined up in front of the pile of ingredients and began depositing their haul on the mound. Amity stood beside them, giving them a look of approval as they each took small steps away from the fruits and vegetables.

"Good, good," Amity rubbed her chin, smiling , "Keep up the good work, Luz is going to love this." Amity softly giggled after mentioning Luz's name. 

She picked up a bell pepper and turned towards the pot, her smile turning into a frown as she squinted at the boiling stew. "Okay maybe it could be a little more spicier," she trotted to the fire, used a crude stone knife (that she crafted herself), to slice it into multiple pieces and tossed them into the pot. Luz's tummy ached as the smell grew stronger, small volume of saliva dripping from the edge of her mouth.

"Perfect," Amity's smiled once again as she tasted the tip of the Ladle, "should be enough." She looked at a stone golem beside her, "what do you think?" she asked, bringing the wooden spoon close to its mouth, the familiar raised its hand and did a "thumbs up" sign, showing its approval.

_...Did she just let a summon taste her food?_ Luz observed Amity with confusion all over her face. 

Amity, seemingly proud of her work, took two stone bowls laying beside the pot and filled them up with the soup, evenly dividing the vegetables and broiled meat between the two bowls. As her ladle dripped with the creamy delight, Luz's nose twitched, catching a whiff of the flavorful aroma the stew was emanating.

_*Grrr*_ Her stomach rumbled again, this time louder than the previous one. Amity turned around after hearing the low growl. She noticed Luz watching her from the distance and waved at her, inviting her over to wooden block she'd prepared as a seat. "Just in time Luz!" she shouted, "I just finished making this chicken soup—" she paused, "—well I say 'chicken' but it really is just a stray fowl my golems hunted." She held out the two bowls, each filled to the brim with stew, "they taste good though!"

Luz eyed the bowls like a tiger stalking its prey, every fiber of her body wanted to jump at the soup and devour it, but she held back the urge to rush. She didn't want Amity thinking she was some sort of savage in the woods. "O-Okay..." Luz answered, an eye twitching from all the restraint. Her arms and legs moved robotically, cranking up and down like unoiled gears. "I-I'm heading, there, slowly, l-like a human."

"Are you okay? you sound kinda... _weird."_ Amity said, "you also move _kinda weird_." she scratched her chin.

_And whose fault is that_ Luz rolled her eyes, fearing more suspicion from Amity, she stretched a bit, bringing life to her limbs, and went straight for the wooden blocks. "I'm fine, must've been a rough night for me." she smiled uncomfortably, chuckling as she crossed her arms.

"Well, _enjoy_ , I hope this makes you feel more energetic. We have a long road ahead of us. I reckon it'd be a two-day trip to the knee and s four day trip to the resistance" Amity reached out to Luz with the bowl in her hand. "And besides, It's _my_ turn to show-off my skills." She raised her brow and wore a smug face.

Luz smiled, "thanks Amity, for making this." 

Amity's cheeks turned red upon hearing Luz's sudden compliment, her smug expression completely wiped from her face. She looked away, mumbling, " _you're welcome_."

Luz, after enduring so long, finally cast her eyes on the bowl. Steam rose from the stew, the smell of finely roasted meat slathered with all kinds of spices slowly crawling up to her nose. Luz gulped, then thrust her spoon on the bowl, the utensil was slowly enveloped by the creamy soup. Upon pulling the spoon away, thick droplets dripped from the edge, emphasizing just how rich in flavor it was.

Unable to wait a second more, Luz finally took a sip. 

Time stopped for a moment as the stew spread across her mouth. The meat just melting atop her tongue as she tasted almost every ingredient she saw in the pile. Every hair in her body stood up, eyes opened wide in delight, and she felt herself drooling more intensely than ever before. 

"Mmmgh!" Luz exclaimed, "This is amazing!" she blurted out for a second before taking another spoonful and shoving it her mouth.

Amity looked pleased, but her face quickly transformed into one of doubt, "Are you sure? I mean, you can just say its bad if you don't—" 

Luz grabbed both of Amity's shoulder's looking her straight in the eye, "trust me Amity, this is the **_best_** meal I've ever had my whole _life_." Amity jerked a bit in response to Luz's assertiveness, but seeing the sincerity in her eyes, her shoulders relaxed. 

"But to call it the best..." Amity paused, a blush forming in her cheeks, "that's kind of a stretch isn't it?" she turned away in embarrassment.

"Amity, I'm not kidding, this is the **_BEST_** **."** Luz affirmed her opinion, taking another spoonful of the soup and bringing it to her mouth.

Amity still didn't seem convinced, "but that's just how I usually make my meals, except adding a bit more flavor for your preferences but, it's the same 'chicken' soup."

Luz paused, savoring the stew in her mouth, then glancing at Amity, "Buh ish gooh— agh!" she spoke, her mouth still full of soup, a piece of carrot escaped her lips and barreled straight to the ground.

Amity chuckled, " _Ok NOW_ I believe you,"

Luz scowled at her, then swallowed again, this time making sure her mouth was empty. "I mean, for us assassins, food was just a source of energy, like oil for a lamp. As long as it had the right 'ingredients' for a stable body, that was enough." Luz reached into her pockets, bringing out a bar of...something. It had no labels, no brands— nothing, it was just a bar wrapped in plastic. She tossed it to Amity, who inspected it closely.

"We call those rations, the assassin's coven is full of them. Every morning, afternoon, and night we take 1 each," Luz took another spoonful of soup, "thewhn carreh owhn wif ourgh mwiffion." Luz spoke, her cheeks inflated as she tried to prevent the stew form spilling out as she explained.

Amity inspected the ration again, taking it out from its wrapper and breaking a piece off. She tossed it to her mouth and chewed for a second, then immediately spit it out, obviously repulsed from the snack. "it tastes like _paper_." Amity extended her tongue looked down, " wet, soggy, paper." 

"It's okay," Luz remarked, obviously having grown used to is bland taste over the years. 

"No," Amity shook her head, "it's not," she stood up, walking back to the tent. After a minute she came out, holding the rest of the ration's Luz had in a leather bag. "Is this the rest of it?"

Luz nodded, and a second later the bag was engulfed in purple flames, The ration bars, along with the leather bag, burned to a crisp and fell on the ground as ashes.

Luz's body froze in terror, "my—!"

"You will not be eating that _thing_ while I'm around, not even a bite." Amity, seeing the whole stash now a pile of ash, walked back and sat in front of Luz. "I'll be handling our food from now on, and you don't have to worry about the times I can't cook like this—" she grabbed something from her pocket, a 'ration' bar she wrapped in leaves. She tossed it to Luz. "Taste it." Amity smiled smugly.

Luz set her spoon down on top of the bowl and removed the leafy wrapper on the bar, revealing a dried piece of "chicken" meat laced with pepper, salt and some other spices. She shoved it in her mouth, eyes widening in the process, "Mm!" she exclaimed, it tasted much better than her old rations, but was just as compact and durable and _worlds_ tastier. 

Amity grinned in satisfaction, "so no more of those 'rations' Luz, ok?" she held her hand out, knowing full-well that Luz had some in her pocket. "I don't even think they're as nutritional as you say they are, something this bland...just impossible."

Luz shoved her hand in her pockets and dug for the remaining rations. She held them out to Amity who took them and burned them to a crisp. 

Luz felt a part of her die inside as she watched the snack she'd been having for six years just disappear, but one look at the chicken soup and the "chicken" jerky and all her doubts were erased.

Amity glanced at Luz with delight , seeing her hungrily devour her food like that. It was as if she'd just had her first meal in ages.

But suddenly, her smile turned into a frown, and a heavy weight descended on her shoulders as she came upon a realization: Luz _did_ just have her first meal, her first meal in _six_ years. For the longest time since her banishment, she'd always been eating that bland piece of...garbage every day her whole life.

Amity winced, Luz never really had the choice to pick otherwise, it was the same bar— breakfast, lunch, and dinner. She stared at the ground, kicking a pebble as she thought, "—and she never had anyone _make_ her anything else... _not until now_ " she mumbled.

"To think you've been eating _that_ all this time," Amity muttered as she glanced back and forth between the half-bitten ration and Luz , letting out a deep breath and resting her cheek on her palm. 

_W_ _hat was life at the assassin's coven like?_ she wondered, realizing that despite all that's happened, she still knew next to nothing about Luz. Doubts began to rise in her heart, giving her the feeling like something was pressing down her chest, suffocating her. Her shoulders felt stiff, and she lurched forward as she began to feel tired. 

Luz, noticing Amity's troubled face, paused for a moment and called out, "Amity?"

Amity looked up, her trance being broken by the sound of Luz's voice, seeing Luz's concerned expression, she faked a smile and replied, "It's nothing,"

Luz, oblivious to her thoughts, went back to munching on her meal. 

Amity sighed, the more she saw Luz innocently chowing away at the food, the more she feared asking about her past. She remembered Luz talking about how the witch almost... killing her every "training" session they had, and how she had to... kill for her meals. She remembered how hurt Luz had been reliving those memories, and she was afraid asking would only hurt her more.

But for some unknown reason, she felt like she just _had_ to do it— for Luz.

Truth be told Amity _cared_ for Luz. Before meeting her, Amity remembered swearing that the moment she found her, she would be making a world where Luz could live in peacefully, away from the _hate_ of being a human, away from Belos' evil plans, and _away_ from anyone or anything that wanted to hurt her. She remembered swearing to herself that night, and she was not backing down now. 

Taking a deep breath, Amity turned towards her, "Hey Luz?" Luz's ears perked up upon hearing Amity call out in a soft voice, Amity looked down, as if she was afraid to ask her question. She raised a finger and opened her mouth slightly, but realized no words were coming out. She tried again, but the fear of making Luz go through her past again terrified her. 

Luz eyed her curiously, "Yeah?"

Amity's face crumpled up as she held her breath, her face turning slightly red. "Luz," she said, finally getting the resolve to look Luz straight in the eye, "I know it's only been a short time since we saw each other again, but I'm still confused and If you don't want to its okay but—" Amity started babbling, raising her shoulders and making all these weird gestures with her hand. She was cut off however, when Luz panted a hand on her shoulder.

"Amity, it's okay," Luz reassured her, she looked like she was just as worried for Amity as she was to Luz. "I don't mind sharing if its with you."

Amity sighed, then nodded, clenching her fists and looking at Luz once more.

"I want to know about your past, _what_ _happened_ after the Emperor banished you to the Dark Forest." Amity spoke directly, not choosing to mince any words after Luz's encouragement. Her eyes were serious, " _p_ _lease_."

Silence surrounded the two as Luz sat still, the stone bowl still on her hands. She gently laid it down beside her, spoon and all, and proceeded to rest her hands on her knees. Her face looked pained as she reminisced events in her past: Eye's shut, mouth curled downwards, hands clutching her pants tightly, and her arms visibly shaking. Amity saw sweat forming on her temples, emphasizing just how hard it was for Luz to recall her time in the wilderness and the assassin's coven. 

At the sight of Luz struggling to respond, Amity quickly looked up, quickly regretting her decision, "never mind what I said—!" she panicked, but Luz gripped her shoulder tight, as if to say "it's okay."

Luz finally having found a place to start, tilted her head upwards to meet Amity's eyes. Amity froze for a second, Luz's eyes were filled with a mix of anger, sadness, confusion, but most of all, apathy. She must have been reliving all those emotions to give Amity a proper narrative. Luz's grip got tighter, but Amity ignored the slight pain, this was the best she could do for Luz, after all, it was her who asked for it.

"These memories..." Luz started, her tone as heavy as her dark expressions, "I remember them perfectly, the curse of good memory is funny isn't it?" her words implied she was joking, but everything about her spelled otherwise, her head was hung down and her mouth was smiling uncomfortably.

"Luz wait—" Amity interjected, but again, Luz looked at her, this time, pleading for her to _listen_. 

Amity froze, after seeing the conviction in Luz's eyes, she knew nothing she said would stop Luz from talking.

"The day I was banished... " Luz's face fell, her eyes staring at the billowing grass, "it was the worst day of my life."

Amity's heart sank as she looked at Luz, eyes filled with sympathy. Luz wasn't looking at her, but she hoped her feelings reached her.

"I remember it like it was just yesterday," Luz grimaced, "Being separated from Eda, King, everyone who ever cared for me. Banishment didn't just mean being prohibited in any city, it meant being thrown in a dangerous place with nothing but your magic to help you survive." Luz looked down, clutching her hand tight, Amity could see a little blood escaping from her palms, "I was **fourteen** Amity, I'd just learned my fire spell. And they threw me into that horrid place filled with creatures far more dangerous than Grometheus."

"I found myself stuck there, with only a handful of glyphs to survive." Luz continued, "at that time my head was filled with all these fantasies about witches and _magic_ ," Luz chuckled, "I thought I could make it. I believed I was one of those princesses that were thrown in the forests to die but came back stronger." she paused, then raised up the sleeve in her right arm, revealing a very nasty scar over three inches long and an inch wide, "this wound here proved I couldn't have been more wrong."

Luz covered her arm again, letting her sleeves down, "By the time the first day was over, all my glyphs were used up, and I stood on a pile of dead wolves, bruised and beaten but _alive_. I barely lived during their attack, but _I did_. I remember thinking to myself 'I bought myself another day."

Luz's eyes fell, "I had hope, like in the fairytales, that Eda, King— even Lilith would come for me. I just had to survive for a week, at most a month." her voiced became deeper, "I _believed_."

"The second day wasn't any easier, creature after creature came after me, thinking I was easy prey. If I didn't discover that I could use my blood to write my glyphs I would have been clawed to death by a bunch of harpies." From the blood in her palm, she dipped a finger and drew a simple light glyph on a leaf, turning it into a ball of light. "Again hope sprang in my chest, I thought everything was ok, i had unlimited magic, meat from the monsters that tried to kill me, and water from streams." Luz looked up, facing Amity, "all I had to do was survive."

"A couple of weeks passed and I realized my body getting weaker, my arms were giving out and my cheekbones palpable under my eyes." She touched her cheek, massaging them carefully, "turns out, the way I used my blood to draw glyphs was taking a big toll on me. Every glyph I made, every spell I cast, drained both my physical and magical reserves." Luz then lifted the finger she used to draw on the leaf, revealing beaten up fingertips. "to make matters worse, the wounds I sustained trying to make glyphs became infected, festering wounds with no cure lying around— relying on my own body's strength was my only hope."

"My magic was weaker, _much_ weaker," Luz dropped her hand and sighed, "but the worst had yet to come, as I lay there, sick and tired, a ferocious creature had found me."

Luz took a stick and began drawing on the ground, "a dire wolf."

Amity's hair stood up, Dire wolves were one of the fiercest species of canines in the forest area. They had a thick hide, fur which could repel even the strongest magics, and teeth that could turn boulders to dust. To have one chasing Luz down, she couldn't imagine the hardship Luz had faced in the past.

"I didn't know what it was at that time," Luz explained, "so using my last bit of strength, I thought about taking it down, but after exhausting my blood to the bare minimum, and seeing it lunge at me unscathed, I realized, this was a fight I _could **not**_ win."

Luz spun the twig in her hand, "but from my experience in the human world, I knew wolves couldn't climb tress, and so using up the last portion of my strength, I climbed the nearest tree and prayed, hoping it couldn't reach me— and it couldn't" Luz tossed the stick away, "but then it waited, sitting below me, patiently waiting and waiting for me to come down, It was intelligent, it knew I had no food, I was forced to make choice between dying of hunger or becoming his meal."

Luz then grabbed another stick and drew a bunch of trees all lined up.

"Thankfully the tree I climbed belonged to an ecosystem, those who bore edible fruit, those who had a fresh water running in their trunks, and those who had..." Luz paused, her stomach shaking in anxiety, "a diverse group of bugs—" she placed a hand on her stomach, "— _edible_ bugs."

"And so with that, the treetops became my home." Luz said, "with the wolf still lurking around below, I traveled tree by tree gathering insects, fruits, and storing water in a wooden jug I carved." she reached out to her arm and ran her hand though it, "of course, I suffered many insect bites, many stings— I once woke up with a centipede crawling in my face, It bit me so hard I had to bite it back to kill it." She sighed, "but it was better than dying."

"Months passed, and after tons of insect bites, feverish days, days where I felt paralyzed from the neck downwards, I finally became accustomed to life on the trees."

Luz's face crumpled up, "but there was still no Eda." Luz faced downwards, her face scrunching up, "hundreds of days had passed, but there was still no sign of rescue."

Luz then returned to the drawing of the wolf and drew multiple arrows around it, "during that time the wolf would disappear for couple minutes, bringing back prey it would feast on as it waited," Amity saw Luz fiddling with the sand beneath her, "it was smart, at most it took less than ten minutes to hunt prey and come back." She erased her current drawing of the wolf, "I don't know why, but it never left for good, even after months of waiting."

"One day, as usual, it left to hunt, I waited a couple of minutes for it to return, but those minutes turned into hours, and those hours into days, it never came back." Luz grabbed a twig and struck it on the ground, "whatever it was the wolf hunted that day...it _killed_ the wolf."

"I waited a whole week just to be sure before I set foot on the ground." Luz stomped on the earth, sending a small dust clouds scattering across her seat. "Planting my feet on the ground after months of stepping on twigs and broken branches felt the best. I remembered feeling free at that time despite still being trapped within the forest. The smell of the soil, touching the small shrubs that grew below, it was refreshing."

"The feeling didn't last however, I soon found myself face to face with the killer of the dire wolf, a thunder boar." Luz said, and seeing Amity's confused face, she explained, "it was a huge boar, about as tall as a house, its tusks were as thick as a witch's leg, sharp as as a wolf's teeth, and hide much thicker than the dire wolf's."

Amity flinched, slightly shaken up by Luz's description.

Luz continued, "I gave it my all that day, every last ounce of magic I had within me I exhausted just to fight the beast. I learned alot in my time up in the trees, I had to use what I'd learned to keep myself alive. Fire spells were ineffective, plant spells would just be ripped apart, and venom just bounced off its hide." Luz paused, drawing each glyph she used, "it seemed hopeless at first, but I realized like every beast it had a weakness— its eyes. Beneath those lay its brain, and without the brain, the boar was as good as dead."

Luz drew an eye on the ground, "but to get close, I had to risk everything." Luz raised a her shirt up to her belly button, revealing yet another scar, this one much larger than the previous one. It pierced straight through the side of her stomach and continued to her back. "I stood near a tree— standing still as it got close, and right before it hit me I dodged to the side, but I wasn't fast enough, the tip of its tusk went straight through me, crossing my abdomen and going straight out of my back." Luz winced, remembering the pain and torture she went through as the boar's barbed tusks cut her flesh.

"In the heat of the moment, the adrenaline allowed me to focus and finally stick an ice glyph onto both of its eyes, activating them and jabbing two sharp icicles straight into its core. In a matter of seconds, the boar fell flat on the ground, blood dripping from its sockets." Luz stabbed the eye she drew.

She then felt her scar, tracing its edges with her fingers, "but the wound the boar had given me was too much, I couldn't help but lay beside it, bleeding out from the sheer volume lost in the first minute. I was at my deathbed, my skin was growing paler every second that passed. I could tell death was close the minute I brought my hand to my face and saw only red."

Luz paused, then turned away, "then the worst _monster_ of them all showed up," she grit her teeth, anger overpowering the sadness she once displayed.

"The Leader found me," Luz spit out her words, obvious hate in her eyes. "As I lay there, back flat on the ground, she walked up to me with the most disgusting smile I've ever seen. She only said five words, no more, no less."

"Do you want to live?" Luz covered her face with her hands, her voice turning deep and serious, "at that moment all I could think about was surviving, I didn't bother thinking about the consequences of my answer. I lived through monsters, dehydration, hunger, countless illnesses, insect bites, and even hallucinations, I wasn't going to die now." Luz shook her head, "I just wouldn't allow myself to."

"I told her 'yes'," Amity saw her face grow stiff with frustration, "If only I knew what she had in store for me, I would've just said no and died on the spot."

"The Leader smiled maliciously at me, and before I knew it, I'd passed out." Luz said, "I remember having a dream that day, of my life in the past: Eda selling worthless items, King being cute and adorable, and..." Luz paused, eyes full of nostalgia as she looked at Amity, _You_. _Our dance at the grom, me helping you to the healer's station, that stupid smile you wore as I carried you._ Luz chuckled, feeling warm from her memories of Amity.

"The Leader healed all my injuries, restored my blood, and detoxified my whole body during my sleep." Luz shut her eyes, a small tear escaping the corner, "I thought...I thought everything would be different, or at least _better."_

"Next thing I know, I opened my eyes and found myself in a cage— no, an Arena." Luz shifted uncomfortably, caressing multiple areas of her body like she was hurt. "At the corner of the arena was a thunder boar, tusks aimed straight at me. I glanced upwards and saw the Leader on a podium, 'show me your resolve!' she shouted, and commanded the boar to kill me." 

She erased the eye on the ground and drew a circle, "that was it, no instructions, no explanation, _nothing_. She simply sent a bloodthirsty boar in my direction and let me figure out the rest."

Luz breathed deeply, "that day, I got a new scar, new concussions—" her eyes suddenly became dark, " —and a new spell that could kill beasts from the inside out, crushing their heart without leaving a trace." She drew a glyph on the ground (presumably the spell she'd mentioned) but didn't complete it, "it was a dark spell, something that should have been _forbidden_ , I felt the same pain the boar felt as I crushed its heart— the only difference was I didn't die, bu everything else felt the same." Luz clutched her chest, "the pain, the suffering, the shock, I went through it all... _to survive."_

Luz dropped her hands, "I was **fifteen** that day, I was just a little girl..." A stream of tears started falling from Luz's eyes, "I looked into the boar's eyes as I killed it and saw myself in them, sad, trapped, _alone_ , but I had no choice, it was either me or him."

Amity felt the world drop on her shoulders as Luz told her story. Her face scrunched up as she could only dream of sharing Luz's burden, her hands shook in anger of her own naivety, and her heart dove into her stomach as she tried to hold a hand out to Luz, but felt like she couldn't reach her. Luz was just too _far away_.

"After killing the boar, she took me back to a small house and gave me three ration bars, she told me I could only leave the arena if I killed whatever was inside it. Once it was over, I'd be brought here and fed, only to be thrown in again the day after." Luz continued, "I had no choice but to comply. Disagreeing with her would only lead to my death."

"And so the next day, she pit me against two thunder boars, then three in the day after." Luz raised her fingers and began counting, "Then there were four, five, seven, ten, until after a month, I found a basilisk instead." 

Luz drew the different monsters on the sand, "griffins, dragons, giant snakes, manticores, and even... ancient wyverns. Whatever I found myself with in that cage, only one of us was leaving alive." Luz then swiped the drawings off with her hand, breathing deeply. 

"Three years, three years I had to fight monsters every day— and I had to win. As my life got more and more dangerous, I learned more and more skills to help me survive. As the beasts grew stronger, so did my magic, and it fell into a never-ending loop of me adapting to stronger creatures until even the strongest monster the leader could find died within the first few seconds of encountering me." She said, "By that time I was already broken. Life or death didn't matter. I went in the arena, killed whatever was there, and left, waiting for the next day to appear."

"It was only when I fought my first 'witch' did I realize how far gone I was," Luz muttered, eyes staring up in the sky at nothing in particular,

"There was an assassin that tried to leave the coven, I couldn't remember his name, but he had red hair and blue eyes. The Leader told me he was one of the elite assassins in the coven, one of the best, but like always, it was either him or me that walked out of the arena alive."

Luz grasped at nothing in the air, "He was dead in seconds." her hand was shaped like it was holding onto something, a beating heart, only to crush it with force, "I didn't feel remorse, guilt, or anything even. It was just a normal day. I ignored his pleas for help, his claims of having a family, I ignored it all and killed him on the spot."

"Finally the Leader looked at me, she seemed very pleased at the abomination she'd created. 'You're finally ready' she told me, after three years of torture and abuse under the hands of monsters and her, she finally told me 'training' was complete." Luz glanced down, eyes bloodshot from her past memories, her hands were shaking, trying to restrain herself from exploding in rage. "I was finally ready to become an assassin."

Luz waved her hands, and a small knife popped out of thin air, "I was given a small knife and thrown with the other new recruits. They gave me a target and a deadline, and just like my time in the arena, finishing the mission meant another meal and a night _alive_ at the coven." She threw the at a tree, impaling it halfway through the blade on its trunk. "At that time I thought every assassin had gone through the same 'trials' I'd gone through, living every day like it was your last." Luz sighed, "turns out new assassins were sent to training grounds to spar, practice different styles of weapons, and were given another day despite _failing_." 

"I was an outlier, a _monster_ the Leader had created for her own selfish purpose. But none of that mattered," Luz looked up, facing Amity with blank eyes, "I was nothing but a mere pet. I'd forgotten everything from my past, the time I spent with Eda, the moments I spent with King, all of those memories disappeared from my heart as my body count increased. I didn't remember every person I've killed, not even what they looked like, I simply followed a routine."

Luz leaned back and looked up at the sky, "wake up, find my target right beside me as I did, go through the details, then head out for the kill. I return by night and by then, my fatigue would take over and force me to fall on my bed asleep, only to wake up the next morning to a new target." 

Luz closed her eyes, deep in thought, "after a year of living in the wild, and three years surviving as a caged creature, I was finally granted access to civilization once again as an assassin." She rubbed her temples, "I was eighteen at that time, it was only four years ago I was drawing light glyphs, attending classes in Hexide and making silly challenges with Boscha," She stopped, then shook her head, "then next thing I know I was cutting off heads of war criminals and corrupt authorities like it was the most normal thing to do."

Luz glanced at Amity, "the day I'd gotten you as a target was just like any normal day for me, it was going to be a quick mission." She took Amity's hand as gently as she could, caressing her fingers like they were the most valuable thing in the world. "You can see how that ended," she clasped Amity's palm, holding her tight. 

Amity didn't resist, not even one bit. Instead she put more strength on her hand, returning Luz's touch, telling her she was there. She turned towards Luz, and with a weak voice, Amity asked, "why didn't you kill me?" 

Luz could only shake her head, "I—I couldn't, everything was there, my position, the weapon, the _reason..._ but my hand wouldn't move." Luz chuckled, "turns out, I still had some heart in me." She fiddled with her fingers, nervously choosing her next words, "when I saw you, _I remembered_. I remembered when you first called me out as an abomination, when we fought that snow monster in the Knee, our trip to Willow's mind, grom night, and the time you helped me out with Boscha."

Luz sighed, "with all those memories resurfacing in a split second, I just felt...lost."

"I was just supposed to leave but—" Luz paused, looking straight into Amity's eyes.

"—I woke up— and I called you." Amity finished Luz's words. She nodded, affirming Amity's claim. "and the reason you looked so resistant when I ran towards you was because—" Amity cut herself off, remembering the time Luz tried to push her away, saying she wasn't the same Luz she was finding.

Luz nodded again, then looked away, shame clouding her eyes, "I was not the same _human_ you danced with at grom six years ago. I was a depraved _pet_ ,: she hugged herself tight, "at that time, I couldn't imagine someone like _me,_ being so close to you, who lived your life with a purpose, a goal. I was corrupt, far from saving, I could never have lived with myself if I'd involved you with—" she motioned to all of herself, "this."

Amity stared at her, "but you didn't leave, you could've just torn yourself away from me, tossed me aside and left. Instead you held on, protecting me from the Juggernaut, protecting me from your allies, and even your leader." Amity pushed her face closer to Luz, demanding an answer, "what made you stay?"

Luz, unable to take the pressure of Amity's gaze, turned her head, Her hand, still within Amity's hold shook as she dug her brain for an answer. Why _did_ she stay? Why didn't she run off and die somewhere else? Luz racked her head, closing her eyes and thinking.

But she already knew the answer from the start.

"You, Amity," Luz finally answered, "you were the reason I stayed." Luz faced her and edged closer, "You told me it didn't matter what I was, what I did, _none of it mattered to you_." she smiled, eyelids slowly falling down and her cheeks becoming a bit red, "I know you haven't heard of my past then, _but I just knew whatever it was_ , I saw it in your eyes, _it was okay_."

Amity blushed, remembering her bold declaration of to Luz that night. 

She noticed a tear falling from Luz's eye, "That was the moment I realized, _I'd been given my second chance_." Luz held her hand tight, " _ **you**_ _."_

Amity, unable to hold herself back, pressed her head forward, closing the distance between their foreheads. She began crying profusely, just like how she cried back at her house. She sobbed, screamed, wailed at nothing in particular, but she had to do it, she had to let her feelings out. She closed her eyes and cried more and more, letting go of Luz's hand and wrapping her arms around her, pulling her into a tight embrace. 

She gripped Luz's back with her fingers, clawing them as strong as she could until Luz flinched in pain, But she didn't care, Amity wanted Luz to know that despite everything she'd said, what she'd gone through, she was still willing to be with her— no matter what. The tears that fell from Amity's face dampened Luz's knees, the dark patch only growing and growing as a waterfall had formed on top of Amity's cheek.

Luz reached up to her cheek, and upon feeling a wet sensation, she realized that she too, had been crying non stop for the past minute. She extended her arms and returned Amity's hug, not in the same fashion she did— with so much force and _yearning_ — no, Luz held Amity to reassure her that she wasn't going anywhere. She gently closed her eyes and lets the tears fall silently as Amity cried her heart out, 

"I'm sorry Luz! I'm sorry!" Amity shouted as loud as she could, gripping Luz tighter, "I should've been there with you. I should have been exiled with you," Amity pounded lightly on Luz's back, "I can't forgive myself for not being there when you needed me the most." She whimpered, toning down her voice. She was finally giving the reaction she wanted to give the whole time Luz was telling her story. Amity thumped her again, "things coul've been different if we were _together_."

Luz smiled compassionately at Amity's offer, "No Amity," she whispered, gently running her hand through Amity's back, "then it would've been _me_ who couldn't forgive myself for dragging you along with _my problems_." Luz patted her head, "You're fine just where you are, _**here by my side, now**_ _."_ Luz emphasized the last words, trying to absolve Amity of any guilt she felt.

Amity only sobbed louder, pushing her head against Luz's, "then that's where I'll be, _forever!"_ She swore, pulling Luz into an even tighter hug, "I'll always be here, I'll cook for you, I'll treat your wounds, I—I'll make sure you never have to suffer _again._ " Amity began making all these promises, promises Luz had always wanted to hear. Promises that showed someone _cared_.

Luz let out small cry, barely able to stop herself from becoming a loud mess, she sniffled, leaning closer into Amity, bringing her lips close to her ears. "No more takebacks okay?" she said, burying her head on Amity's shoulder, hiding her tears, "even if you want to," she said in a shaky voice.

Amity shook her head as strong as she could, rubbing her cheeks on Luz's, her tears clashing with Luz's face, " **never.** " She declared with every fiber in her body. Then she slowly lightened her hug, pulling back and looking Luz straight in the eye, " _never,"_ Amity said once more, putting her hands behind Luz's head and pulling her forehead close, planting her lips on them like she was comforting a child. 

"never."

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That took wayy too long to write, my heart broke multiple times writing it. But, I hope you loved it.


	2. Unfiltered Feelings

The winds howled and blizzards stormed across the area, looking for unsuspecting creatures that strolled peacefully along the ground. The whole valley, perpetually covered in three feet of snow, slowed down Luz and Amity as they made their way across.

They'd finally reached the Knee. A frost haven for monsters and plants that thrived in the snow. Because of its height and location, the snow never actually melted at any time of the season, it only grew thicker. Every tree, rock, cave, were covered in snow with no exception. That, accompanied by the very steep slope it formed made travelling past the Knee more complicated than most places.

Luz groaned as her feet sank deeper in the snow with every step, requiring her to lift her foot up to the level of her knee before stepping forward. "Ugh," she let out a grunt, "there should be spells for this." she complained as she took another step.

Her missions were always located in some form of civilization, be it a small town or village, so Luz never had to travel to deserted places like the Knee to finish a job. That being the case, her inexperience with the environment was clearly reflected in her frustration. Her brows arched downwards, her eyes carrying this irritated look, and her tense leg muscles that cried out in pain, she wanted nothing more to do with this horrid place.

She glanced back at Amity, who was walking in the same manner as her—foot up to the level of her knee, but minus the irritation. Luz looked at her quizzically, :"how is this not bothering you?"

Amity looked up, eyes laced with confusion, "what do you mean?"

Luz motioned to her feet, " _this_ , the snow just _creeping_ up your legs." she lifted another foot up and took a step forward, slamming it into the thick bed of snow. 

Amity chuckled, "As part of the exploration coven, I had to go to the Knee a lot of times, there were days when the snow would reach half my body," she shrugged, jerking her shoulders and raising her eyebrows, "but you get used to it."

_Are you serious?_ Luz thought, she then looked at her buried feet and an idea sparked in her mind.

"Amity, what if I—" Luz raised a finger.

"—No, you cannot use the warmth glyph to melt the snow," Amity shook her head in disapproval, "unless you want to set off a chain reaction and flood the whole Boiling Isles."

Luz dropped her finger, a look of sadness spreading across her face.

"But what about—" Luz raised a finger again, eyes lighting up as another idea crossed her mind.

"—You cannot use strength enhancing magic either," Amity cut her off, she'd completely read Luz like a book.

"But—"

"—Unless you want us to get buried under an avalanche." Amity closed her eyes, pinching her forehead at Luz's persistence.

Luz stooped forward, eyelids dropping and mouth frowning, she lifted her foot up again and continued to trudge forward. Amity, following her back, smiled unconsciously at the sight of Luz's small tantrum. Even if it was only little by little, Luz was beginning to show more emotion. That annoyed face she made, the way she angrily waved her arms, Amity found it cute.

***

Despite the seemingly harsh environment, the two proceeded to make their way on top of the slope— the peak. They did have to pass multiple obstacles in the form of fallen trees, high cliffs, and extremely deep snow, but using both of their magic, they were able to cross it with ease. Fortunately, monsters in these type of environments were rare, the ones who tried to hunt them down were either scared away by Luz's intimidating aura— or wounded, if they were stubborn enough make a move. With Amity beside her, Luz wanted to avoid killing as much as possible.

Occasionally disasters would happen. One time a wall of snow began plowing down the mountain slope in their direction, Luz had to quickly grab Amity and duck behind a pine tree, but due to the tree's size, she had to hug Amity tight to fit, holding her head on her chest, Luz would glance behind to check if the bed of ice had gone through. Another time while trekking through the snow, Amity's hands were becoming cold and numb from the weather, Luz ended up having to wrap her hands over Amity's and casting the "warmth" glyph to restore her touch. 

As they progressed, these small gestures Luz showed Amity increased: she carried her princess-style across a cliff, covered her with her body when snow fell from the treetops, and always walked in front when crossing frozen lakes in case the thin ice would shatter. At first glance, the two of them were comfortable with this dynamic— each using their own magic for the good of the team, and it was supposed to be this way until they reached the resistance.

But unbeknownst to Amity, during their whole trip in the Knee, Luz was suffering from a problem she had never faced before.

_***  
_

Luz leaned on the cold, hard wall of the cave, deep in thought. She hung her head and looked down, listening, _feeling_ her beating heart. It _thumped_ inside her chest, wanting to just pop out of her. She didn't know why, or _how_ it started, but the feeling was _there_. She thought a little rest would calm her down, but it only made her more conscious of her state.

She grimaced, her breath getting stuck in her throat. She glanced outside of the cave, observing the vicous winds tear snow and bend trees. Their howls were as loud as ever, echoing inside the small cave she and Amity settled in. An hour ago, a snow blizzard had suddenly emerged, one stronger than what each of them has encountered so far, forcing the two of them to seek shelter in a small cave close tot he borders of the Knee.

As they set up camp, Amity took the wheel and began laying out their tools, organizing them for easier access. Luz wanted to help her at first, but she refused her help saying it was some sort of 'repayment' for all the things Luz had done in trip.

Luz glanced at Amity, who was carrying a small box of rations in her arms. Her green hair fluttered with the wind, revealing her slightly pink cheeks, and her eyes glittered as the campfire shone directly at them. She looked troubled, carrying the box by herself, her cheeks turning bright red as she overexerted herself. A part of Luz wanted to help her out, but an even bigger part of her wanted to continue watching Amity cutely struggle.

Finally she reached the tent they had set up for the night. Luz eyed Amity as she began unpacking all their food, clothing, and potions. Her cheeks puffed up as she tried blowing away a stubborn strand of hair that kept sticking to her face, but despite her attempts, it remained stuck on her forehead. Slightly frustrated, she laid the box down and caught the strand, tucking it behind her pointy ears. She smiled at her small victory, her glossy lips reflecting the brightness of the campfire.

_Thump_

Luz choked on a jerky, coughing up a small piece. She brought her hand to her face and felt _heat_ spreading across her cheeks. Her eyes widened, her body grew tense, and every hair in her body stood up. Goosebumps were rattling all around her, shocking her arms and legs. _Thump_ she felt her heartbeat again, faster and _stronger_ this time. 

Luz glanced at Amity, unable to take her eyes off her, following every inch of her fingers, every ingredient her hand counted, and every twitch her pointy ears made. _Thump Thump Thump_ her heart raged inside her chest, almost taking away her ability to breathe. She clasped her chest, ignoring the warmth spreading across it to her arms, legs, and face. She looked down, ripping her eyes off Amity who was oblivious to her feelings.

Luz grimaced as she tried to remember when this all started. A flashback of the night she confessed about her past came up, and the _kiss_ , the way Amity planted her lips on Luz's forehead, the _soft_ sensation she felt, the _feelings_ that got through her, she couldn't keep it off her mind. Ever since Amity kissed her, Luz had become a complete mess around her, only hiding her clumsy antics by disguising them in the form of chivalrous acts.

She remembered how she almost exploded when she instinctively hugged Amity to protect her from a small avalanche. Her scent, the lavender smell her hair emitted, the smooth arch of her neck as she held it close to her chest. A second more of that...madness and Luz would have downright shut down. 

When the weather grew harsher, and Amity's hands began feeling cold, Luz immediately took them in her own, rubbing them for warmth, she could have just cast the warmth glyph on Amity but instead, she _had_ to _hold_ her hands for ten straight minutes. She cringed as she recalled enjoying Amity's soft, warm, hands, unconsciously tracing her fingers and rubbing them all over. Her cheeks burned red at the thought.

_And that kiss_ , Luz wondered, she may have been an empty husk at some point but she was no idiot. _Is kissing something you do normally in the Boiling Iles or_ — she felt herself blushing. 

Luz touched the tip of her forehead at the exact same spot where Amity kissed her. It _was_ in the forehead, it could have been nothing more than a friendly gesture, something Amity did to comfort her— but Luz didn't want to believe that. She laid her hands on the ground, she didn't want it to be 'nothing.'

"Ugh!: she plunged her head deep in her knees, blocking out the roars of the wind outside and the gentle crackles of the fire. She was lost, it was the first time she'd felt this way towards _anyone_. She wasn't sure what these feelings meant. Luz covered her face with her hands, "agh! _I can't take this anymore."_ she clutched her jacket tight, pulling it to give herself some breathing space. It didn't help.

She breathed deeply, afraid Amity would overhear her loud heartbeats. _Calm down,_ she told herself, closing her eyes and relaxing her shoulders. _Whatever this is, it's going to end soon, I hope._ Luz thought.

She paused, then looked up, _No..._ she trailed off, _I don't want it to end, these feelings, I want to keep them,_ Luz confessed to herself. Despite every episode she'd been through in the past few days, those few mishaps, accidental hugs, gentle handholding, Luz never saw it as anything close to a problem— in fact, every time she connected with Amity, _emotionally,_ she _loved_ every second of it.

Yes, _love._

Luz glanced at Amity one more time, noting her sharp yet gentle eyes, the face that made Luz believe in a new life, the arms that held her— took her when she believed no one would, and her heart, which was big enough for the two of them— _only_ the two of them. A warm mellow feeling overcame Luz as she stared at Amity. The witch was just doing what she normally did, sorting out stuff, making sure the tent was all good, taking care of her familiars, but the more she carried on with her normal routine, the more Luz felt herself _yearning_ for her. 

Truth be told, if Amity were to disappear from the face of the earth right now, Luz would have no purpose to live. Life would become meaningless, empty, even more so than the time she spent at the assassin coven. _Amity_ was her purpose now, if she were to die, Luz would have no reason to exist.

As she sat down at the cave wall, hands at her side and back leaning against cold stone, she remembered the books she read as a child. She recalled the Good Witch Azura and her rival Hecate, their arguments, their squabbles, and their disastrous fights. But— she also remembered how, when each other's life was on the line, they gave everything, _**everything**_ , to save each other, only to realize they loved each other all along.

_Love_...Luz mouthed the word.

Like Azura, she's had her crushes on great-looking guys in the past, but that was it, a superficial attraction to 'hot' characters. But one look at Amity in her nightgown, laughing loudly with her pygmy golems as she told them stories with pure delight in her face, Luz knew— this wasn't just a simple crush. The way her heart melted when she held Amity in her arms, the way she knew only Amity could stop her from being a monster, the way butterflies flew in her stomach when they sat across each other face-to-face, and the way she knew she would **kill** anyone who hurt her witch, Luz knew—

—she loved Amity Blight.

Luz sighed, taking one more look at Amity before standing up and making her way to the cave entrance to watch the moon.

She loved her so much it hurt. 

***

Amity watched with sullen eyes as Luz stood up and walked away. She paused, then looked at the stone bowls she held for their meals. A slow sigh escaped her lips as she closed her eyes, the bright glow of the campfire hiding the blush on her cheeks. She raised a hand, reaching up to the sides of her face, it felt warm...warmer than usual, and it wasn't because of the flames.

She had noticed Luz gazing at her a couple minutes ago while she was working, but she pretended not to notice. Instead, she acted like she was oblivious to her eyes. _Why was she looking at me so...intensely?_ Amity's brows furrowed, obviously confused. _She's been doing that since..._ her cheeks started heating up, _the dark forest incident_. 

Amity thought of it as a small thing at first, but as hours passed, days flew by, the stares remained just as passionate. A couple of days ago they were small glances here and there, but just a minute ago she'd realized Luz had been eyeing her for the past hour. There _was_ something going on,

She took one last look at Luz's shadow exiting the cave, her light footsteps creating dents in the snow. She was probably going for a walk. The storm was still raging outside, but for someone of her caliber, it wasn't anything to worry about.

_I'm such an idiot_ , Amity thought to herself, rubbing her hands on her cheeks. "Why did I have to go and do _that_ , of all things, _a kiss."_ She shook her head, "now Luz might just...be creeped out." She turned to a stone golem who was organizing their dinner, "Ohhh, what do I do?" she called out to it, her face bearing a concerned look,

The stone golem faced her, it hung its head, crossed its arms, then gave Amity a look of disbelief before returning to its task. _This again?_ , it seemed to tell her. Over the past six years the golems have been the dumpster of Amity's rants about Luz. Whether it be about finding her, or _anything_ about her, Amity always turned towards them to speak her thoughts. By the time they'd found Luz, the golems knew what they were in for.

The golem waved a hand and brushed Amity off, knowing full well how this was going to end— it was _never_ going to end.

"C'mon, do you think Luz sees me as a weirdo?" Amity refused to be ignored, grabbing the golem by the shoulders and shaking it. "I mean— I **kissed** her, in the forehead," she scratched her head, "friends don't just do _that_."

Amity grabbed her hair, "what if she gets disgusted?" she shook the golem more intensely, "I did promise to be by her side _forever_ but maybe she doesn't think of it in a romantic way." 

The golem grabbed Amity's hand with force, shocking the witch, but it instead of shoving her hand away, it placed it over her chest. It then turned its head toward Luz, who was sitting just outside the cave, and motioned towards her. 

"You want me to go ask her myself?" Amity said, her eyes becoming panicky.

The golem nodded.

"But what if... everything gets ruined because of these _feelings_ , if Luz doesn't see me the same way..." Amity trailed off, she clutched her chest, fingers digging deep into her gown. "I don't wanna risk that." She began fingering a small pebble, "what if she just looks at me as a close friend, nothing more?"

The golem stared at her with its mouth wide open, eyes (if it had one) twitching in frustration, it then slapped its face so hard chunks of rock fell off its face. It pointed fiercely at Luz, then Amity, then drew a heart sign on the ground.

_It's pretty fucking obvious she loves you too._ It stomped on the ground, annoyed and irritated at its master's stupidity.

Amity tilted her head in confusion, "are you saying..."

The golem nodded repeatedly, eager to return working.

"...I love her?" Amity concluded,

The golem banged its head on the ground, clawing the rocks beneath it. 

Amity remained oblivious to its message, "I _already told_ you that." she patted the golem's head, "ever since we saved Eda, Edric and Emira from the snow monster." She grinned at her memories of Luz, "it may have started as a small _crush_ ," she took a deep breath, "but meeting her again now...I know I'd give _anything_ for her."

Her familiar fell flat on its back, its soul all but defeated. 

"But we can't give up just like that!" Amity pumped her fist in the air, "Maybe somewhere inside her, there's a spot for me— the _me_ I want her to see as someone she... _like-likes_." She turned around excitedly, looking at her summon flat on its back, "maybe...if even for a little bit, she likes me...as a woman."

The golem didn't even attempt to move, its disappointment hidden beneath its lack of facial features.

Amity's eyes fell, "yeah...I know, it's hard being in love for the past six years with your first love." She huddled up beside the fire and buried her head in her arms, "I just never saw anyone I'd like to spend the rest of my life with other than her." She scoffed, hot steam puffing out beneath her arms, "it's silly, being this _dedicated,_ everyone told me to go find some bigshot noble to marry, saying there were more fish in the sea, but I knew— I knew Luz was the only fish in mine."

The golem lay still, resigning itself to its fate.

Amity reached into her pocket and took out an old picture, edges slightly torn and smudges all over the film, but to her it was still one of her most valuable possessions: her picture at grom with Luz. 

She smiled at the picture, cheeks flushing at the memory of Luz pulling her close for shot. The picture of her in an otter costume was also _cute,_ but unfortunately she only got to keep this one. Amity compassionately wiped off some dust that scattered across the picture, "we were so young, so _naïve_ ," a tear began falling from her eye. 

Amity let out a deep sigh, before reuniting with Luz, she was uncertain, uncertain if she could still love the same person she hadn't seen in six years. The sole driving force of her motivation to search for Luz... _love._ But what if the said person doesn't even remember her? Doubts circled her mind from time to time. She knew her love for Luz would never change, but would she be able to handle rejection? That thought haunted her, but she shoved it at the back of her mind, telling herself she'd cross the bridge when she got there.

Yet, when she saw Luz at her window that night, moon glowing on her back, her mind just went blank. Every thought, every doubt she ever had flew off her head as her heart cried out of joy that Luz, _her_ Luz was still alive. She saw her eyes, empty, yet yearnful, and immediately decided that she was going to _love_ this girl for eternity. She didn't even consider the possibility of Luz not feeling the same way, she just wanted to be _with_ her, even if it meant she had to love her from the sidelines.

But then Luz began to hold her, embrace her, protect her like a lion protecting its mate. That and the small yet meaningful actions she'd been doing for her the past few days have been driving her insane. Most of the time she wanted more, more time to enjoy Luz's arms, her scent, the tough look she carried outside— and seeing how that expression changed into something else entirely when she faced Amity. 

She never had enough, and _gosh_ she wanted more. 

She turned her eyes again, scanning the area around her, spotting Luz on the same edge she sat on the last time she saw her. For a second her heart stopped, breath short circuiting in her mouth. Her pupils became fixated on Luz's back, running through her waving scarf. But it was followed by a sharp, stabbing pain in her chest. Amity yellow eyes were filled with _want_ for the human, but it was a _want_ she couldn't afford.

"I can't..." she turned towards her downed minion, eyes staring at the cave floor, "I just can't," a tear began forming in her eyes, but she couldn't help it. 

The golem cranked its head to look at Amity. then It stood up, dusting some snow from its legs, and turned its back.

It was a small creature, barely taller than a foot and a half, only reaching up to Amity's knees as she stood, Amity didn't notice it slowly making its way deeper into the cave, disappearing into the darkness.

Amity, still absorbed in her picture with Luz, failed to notice the tapping sounds it made as it snuck through the tents and into a small boulder behind. 

It was only a couple of minutes after the golem left did Amity begin to notice her companion's absence. She looked around, checking every nook and cranny of their camp, but couldn't find her familiar. She was sure she hadn't unsummoned it, but for some reason the familiar was nowhere to be found. What's more is that it also left its tasks undone, which is something her golems _never_ do.

She looked under the bowls, the tent, even under rocks but to no avail. She called out to it, reciting its personal name, but it didn't respond. 

Slightly worried about her companion's safety, she was about to ask Luz for help when she felt a small tug at the bottom of her shirt. It was her companion, the golem she'd been looking for in the past five minutes. It had been beside her for quite some time, she just hasn't noticed it, furthermore It seemed to be holding something in its hands— and it was handing it over to Amity.

Amity smiled, "you got me something?" she patted the golem's head. It just stood there in response

It didn't flinch, only leaning forward and extending its hands towards her.

"Aw, thanks," she said, placing her hands below the familiar's hands to catch whatever it held. 

The summon looked at her, eyes devoid of any sympathy. Shifted a bit, placing its hands right on top of Amity's, then it opened it.

***

"Aghh!" A shriek echoed from the entrance of the cave. It was sharp, audible, loud—

—and it was Amity's.

Luz jumped up from her seat, facing the cave entrance. She had never moved so fast in her life. In a split second she found herself running towards camp, dashing through the cave into their campsite. She held her heart at the edge of her sleeve, sweating, anxious about what could've made Amity scream like that.

Upon arriving at the campsite, Luz watched in horror as the contents of pot Amity used to cook spilled onto the floor. The stone bowls were toppled over the ground. The pile of ingredients she used to cook were scattered all over, stashed peppers, parsleys, potatoes, and other fruits and vegetables, lay a good distance from each other.

At the corner of her eyes, she finally spotted Amity, her legs peeking out from behind the campfire and her back on top of crushed peppers. it seemed like she fell on the mound of spices beside the tent, creating a circle of vegetables around her fallen body. Luz breathed a sign of relief upon seeing her free of injury, but a small issue nagged her at the back of her head.

Amity wasn't moving.

Luz's heart froze, fear cornering every part of her soul as she stood there, hoping, _wishing_ , that Amity would just sit up, greet her, and then begin ranting like everything was fine, but she wasn't. Luz felt a clawed hand reach for her innards, clutching and breaking every organ in her body. A huge weight descended on her abdomen, making her feel like rocks had been placed over her stomach.

Immediately realizing the emergency, Luz rushed to her side, stepping on the ingredients as she rushed to Amity's side and held her limp body on her arms.

"Amity, Amity!" Luz panicked, her voice hoarse as she screamed. She shook her body, grabbing her shoulders from the side and jerking them. Still no response. Hands shaking, she tried again, but she choked on her dry throat before she could do it. All the worry over Amity made her forget to breathe.

Luz jerked her shoulders again, trying to elicit a response, but Amity lay still, eyes closed, mouth slightly open. She was breathing, but showed no signs of waking up. 

Horror overcame Luz's face upon dragging her hands along Amity's body, her muscles were becoming stiff, tense to the point of it feeling like hard rubber. She clutched Amity's forearm, squeezing it, trying to convince herself what she was feeling was a figment of her imagination. But it more she pressed, the harder Amity's muscles seemed to become.

"No no no," Luz frantically pulled her hair, " body stiffness—" she panted, drawing a deep breath, "—paralysis," she felt Amity's neck, noting the stiff exterior. She was definitely paralyzed. Luz tried to think up multiple ways to manage immediate paralysis, and a few came to mind.

"Um," Luz panicked, "massages to loosen the muscle," she mumbled. She positioned her arms at Amity's neck, making sure to secure her airways first.

But before she got to working on Amity's neck, she spotted something at the corner of her eye, a small spider, crawling out of Amity's hand, it's abdomen covered in stone. Her eyes glanced over at the finger it crawled out from and immediately spotted it covered in some sort of gray matter. Luz narrowed her eyes, focusing on that particular finger. 

_Rock_ , she concluded, Amity's finger was covered in some cement-like material. 

Luz stopped breathing for a second, _petrification_.

Her heartrate spiked, her breaths became ragged, and her eyes widened as she connected the dots. _A spider covered in stone, and Amity's petrified finger..._

She felt her how world crumble, "No no no," she repeated over and over, refusing to accept the conclusion she'd drawn. But the reality was there, there was no doubt about it.

"She was bitten by a Gorgon spider," Luz mumbled, then fell on her back, arms weakening and legs losing power. "No...it can't be..."

Luz's face crumpled up, she punched the ground helplessly as she stared at Amity's hand. Gorgon spiders were know to be very rare, and very lethal. Once bitten, their prey becomes paralyzed, slowly turning into stone. There was no known cure for their bite. Once they'd injected their venom, there was no going back.

"No!" Luz grabbed Amity's shoulders, tears flooding her eyes, "Amity! don't...don't do this to me Amity..." her voice trailed off. She looked at her finger again, then feeling her heart wrench she closed her eyes and looked away. "No...this can't be happening." She bit her lip and weakly shook Amity's shoulders, "this can't..."

She hugged Amity's body tight, with was hard to the touch, but it didn't matter. Luz buried her face in her neck, crying her heart out. She'd always been a warrior, a warrior that only had one skill— to kill. Healing magic was never possible with her, and even if it was, there was no magic powerful enough to cure a Gorgon spider's bite. She slammed the ground beside her in frustration.

"I should've known...I should've checked the cave before we settled but...I was too shy," Luz confessed, "you were there... and I just couldn't concentrate...you're just too... _blinding_." 

She rubbed her face on Amity, wiping her tears off in her shoulders, "you can't do this to me, I still have so many things to say, so many things to _confess_ ," Luz bit her lip, Amity probably couldn't hear her, but the weight her heart carried was too much for her. She had to let it out. 

"I _love_ you Amity, I love you more than anything in your world or mine." Luz hugged her tighter, so tight she was afraid Amity might wake up from the sheer force of her hold. "I know I'm not the best companion, I know I've made many enemies— and staying with me would be the most dangerous decision you've ever made, but I promise I'll protect you." Luz caressed her head, "I promise no matter what you'll be my first priority." She lifted up her head, an idea having come across it.

"Just like now," Luz kneeled in front of her, eyes full of conviction. The Gorgon spider's spell was incurable, but it _was transferrable_. She remembered the spell Lilith used on Eda. _What if..._

"I'm sorry for this Amity," Luz placed her hands on Amity's stomach, hovering them just right above it. "But I need you to live, even if it means I don't." She looked at Amity's face one last time, "I don't deserve to live anymore, but you...you can still have a normal life." her she felt her chest contract, "without me."

Luz grimaced, forcing out the remaining tears left in her eyes.

O _world o world thou art divine, make whatever's hers be mine._ Luz chanted in her mind.

A flash of light appeared and enveloped both Amity and Luz, illuminating the cave. They were both lifted up, body and all, off the ground and held midair. Slowly, what Luz could only describe as "essence" began to escape Amity's body and transfer to hers. Luz nodded, accepting her own fate. In this spell, there was no "share," only take. It was a one-way street. Whatever Amity was suffering from would be transferred to Luz.

A couple of seconds later, the ball of light dissipated. After emptying Amity of her "essence" the light disappeared while still holding the two midair, causing them to fall on the ground with a thud. Dust clouds sprayed around them as they both lay flat.

Luz had her back on the ground and arms on her sides. She tried to smile, but as she felt the poison flowing in her veins, she was unable to lift a muscle. Thanks to her build-up resistances to toxins, she was able to maintain her consciousness and even tilt her head, but it seemed that was the limit of her power.

Well, it didn't matter anyway, in a few minutes, her life was going to be over. The petrification would begin spreading across her body—

_Wait_ , Luz thought.

She weakly glanced at her finger, then paused, confusion beginning to swirl inside her mind.

_...No signs of it turning to...stone?_

She glanced at her other hand and tried to feel the rest of her body. Not a single part of her body was petrified, _Did the spell not work?_ Luz panicked, she tried opening her mouth to call out for Amity, but only incoherent sounds came out. _It definitely did_ , she could feel the toxin in her body, but the only thing she experienced was the paralysis.

Suddenly, her ears perked up as she heard Amity's voice beside her.

"You're such an idiot Luz," she heard a Amity chuckle beside her. Turning her head, her heart immediately leapt with joy as Amity appeared beside her, color returning to her face, and her arms seemingly healed.

"Mmm!" Luz mumbled, still unable to shake off the poison's effects. She glanced frantically at Amity's finger, which was still covered in stone. "Mmm!" she mumbled again.

Amity turned to her finger, still "petrified" despite Luz's spell, then turned back to Luz. "This—" she brought the finger to Luz's vision and began to scrape it, revealing that the "petrification" was just her finger covered in a thin layer of cement, "—my golem did that, it...um, covered my finger with rock."

Luz looked at her questioningly, confused at the whole situation. 

"My familiar it— it gave me a Shock spider," Amity blushed, scratching the back of her head.

_Shock spider_ Luz thought, a harmless species of spider that paralyzed its prey for short time. Its venom did literally nothing else. For small creatures the paralysis would last for days, but for humans and witches, a couple of minutes was all that was needed for the effects to wear off.

She visibly cringed, realizing all her panic had been in vain. She'd jumped to the wrong conclusion about the Gorgon spider after seeing the cement-covered finger when it was actually a Shock spider that bit Amity. She closed her eyes, hoping, praying the effects would wear off so she could bury herself in the snow. 

Not only did Luz show how _weak_ she was when Amity was in danger, she also _confessed everything_. Afraid that it would be the last moment they spent together, Luz confessed her feelings to Amity without thinking. Her cheeks heated up the more she thought about it. A tinge of anxiety ran across her as she feared Amity's reaction to her confession. 

Luz tried salvaging the situation, _what if she didn't hear,_ she consoled herself, _Maybe I can just shrug this off—_

"So my golem...it handed me a shock spider, and after being bitten, it painted my finger in stone and ran off, leaving me... _paralyzed_... _but awake_." Amity blushed harder, fiddling with her fingers as she looked at Luz. Her ears were flopping up and down, her hair was a bit messy from the ordeal, and her face, pupils dilated and eyes staring off into nothing.

_She heard, she definitely heard everything._ Luz felt herself dive to oblivion.

Amity fidgeted, shifting a bit in place and looking at Luz, "Luz..." her voice trailed off, "what you said..."

Luz turned bright red, eyes narrowing down as she internally panicked. She said it at the heat of the moment, something she decided to take with her to the grave. She tried moving her arms, trying to run away from this _mess_ , but they didn't respond. She was forced to stay there, face her own fears. 

"I—" Amity tried to speak, lifting up her face and looking Luz in the eyes, but was immediately cut off by a hand on her lips.

Luz was finally able to break free of the toxin, raising a finger to Amity's face to prevent her from speaking. "No...don't," Luz mumbled, sweat formed at the side of her head, her eyes, almost near breaking point, were filled with sadness and fear. Her heart sinking to the bottom of her stomach. She didn't want to hear what Amity had to say, rather, she was afraid she couldn't take it. 

The _rejection_.

She was inhuman, something that wasn't allowed to love, how could someone as great as Amity return her feelings? She already said she'd be her companion, Luz was fine with that, but to lose her because of a silly misunderstanding, her soul wouldn't be able to handle that.

"Amity, I can't—" Luz looked up and tried to speak, but was immediately cut off by Amity brushing her arm off and kissing her. 

Yes, she kissed Luz with no warning.

Amity— the girl she thought she could never have, was kissing her at the very moment. Her arms crept up Luz's back, pulling her in, messing with her hair, gently touching her _everywhere_. 

Luz stood there, frozen, shocked, even more paralyzed than the time she absorbed the spiders venom. Their faces so close to each other, she could see— _feel_ everything. Amity's flushed cheeks, the scent of her sweat, the strong lavender smell that wafted from her hair, and her extremely soft, precious lips that she held in her own. The taste of sweetness in her mouth, it was mind-breaking. 

Unable to hold herself back, Luz brought her own arms to Amity's back, embracing her, pulling her so hard it felt like they would melt together at any second. Her hands ran through Amity's back, tracing the edge of her chest to the curves of her hips. She pulled it closer, closing the distance between them even more.

Neither of them flinched, the two girls _knew_ , _they_ wanted this. 

Amity pulled back for a second, her face hot. She panted, obviously breathless. She was so close her Luz felt every breath she took. She said nothing, Amity just breathed raggedly, eyes just stuck on Luz's face the whole time.

The she dove in for seconds, kissing Luz on the lips once again without saying anything. This time a bit more forceful, more intense than the sudden yet gentle kiss she gave a minute ago. Their noses beside each other, Luz was once again introduced to everything that identified the witch "Amity," the scent of her hair, the features of her face up close, the passion in her eyes— Luz loved everything about it. From the tip of her crimson ears to the edge of her chin, Luz _wanted_ it all.

"I-I," Luz pulled back to breathe, her face completely red and overheated. She tried to talk, but she choked due to lack of air. 

This time it was Amity who pushed a finger on her lips. She inched closer to her and planted her forehead on her Luz's, closing her eyes. " _I_ _love you too, Luz"_ Amity confessed, running a finger across Luz's cheek, "I always have."

Amity continued to talk, holding a finger on Luz's lips, her forehead connected to hers, "Losing you that day, six years ago, was the _worst_ thing that ever happened to me." She sniffled, a tear trailing off her face, "I don't remember much but I was a _mess_." 

"I was lost, I didn't know what to do— my friends, they told me to move on, but I couldn't." Amity grimaced, Luz felt her face scrunch up at the memory, "a couple of days after that, I recall just lying around, aimlessly wandering around the Boiling Isles. I'd lost motivation for everything, I gave up trying to be the top student, I stopped listening to my parents, those days were a blur."

Amity cupped Luz's cheek, "but one day I decided to take a walk at the edge of the dark forest, I saw piece of your shirt. It looked old, but it was just recently stripped off." she ran her thumb to wipe a tear off Luz's face, "I realized you were still alive."

"At that moment something in me awoke, I found my way again, I realized the only thing I wanted to do was to find you." Amity rubbed her cheek, "the next thing I know I graduated Hexide with flying colors." She sighed, "then I joined the exploration coven, quickly rose in their ranks just to become their leader. I needed the perks, I needed all the help I could get—" Amity paused, then she looked at luz in the eyes.

"—to _find you_."

Luz could only sit there, unmoving, her world spinning in many directions. Her mouth was slightly open, saliva trickling out from their kiss. Her eyes bore the look of disbelief. Emotions she never knew she had began emerging from the very essence of her body, and she didn't know what to do with it. 

Amity looked away, blushing furiously at her own confession. She closed her eyes, the opened them slightly, peeking expectantly, waiting for an answer. 

Luz, seeing Amity in that state, knew what she had to do. Amity had bore her feelings out in the open for her to see. She showed her vulnerable, defenseless side, ready to accept whatever Luz's response was.

It was only _human_ to give her a proper answer.

Luz shook her head, shaking off any stupor that remained and grabbed Amity's shoulders and pulling her into a tight hug. Her lips quivering, she brought them beside her ears, breathing slowly, letting her breath tickle Amity's sensitive ears.

"Amity," Luz finally spoke, her words slithering out of her mouth, "since I don't have to hide anything from you anymore." She hung her head on Amity's shoulder, "I won't be holding back."

Luz breathed deeply, "I _want_ you Amity, not only as a friend, not only as a partner, but as a woman." She paused, choosing her next words carefully. "I want to hold you, hug you, _kiss_ you as much as you want. I might not be that good at it, but we'll learn, _together._ " She caressed Amity's back, "I love you Amity, I said it before and I'll say it again, I love you with everything I have." 

Luz closed her eyes, "these past few days have been the worst for me, it was unbearable, you were there— and I wanted to keep you in my arms, but I _respected_ you too much." She breathed slowly, letting out a stream of air, "I thought someone like you would never fall for someone like me. But now I have no regrets."

Luz kissed the crook of Amity's neck, "I promise to love you, forever, to protect you, to be your _champion._ "

"Amity Blight, be my _woman_." Luz whispered to her ears as soft as she could. But from the looks of it, the effect on Amity was immense. Her pupils were narrow, ears red up to the tips, and from her own chest Luz felt Amity's heartbeat running wild.

Realizing how much her offer sounded like a _proposal_ , Luz scratched the back of her head, slightly flustered over her unfiltered confession, "that is— If you'll have me," she chuckled, turning away from Amity. 

Amity reciprocated her hug, laughing softly, she pulled back and kissed Luz one more time on the lips, "does that answer your question?" she furrowed her brows and gave Luz a sly look.

Luz scoffed at her, giving her a smug grin. "I don't think it was clear enough, I might... _misunderstand_ things, you know," she said, closing her eyes, curling her lips a little more. 

Amity returned her grin and kissed her again, much deeper and longer this time. "Yes, Luz Noceda, I— Amity Blight, will be yours and _yours_ only. I'll be your woman, and you will become mine." She declared, holding Luz by the waist and pulling her close.

"Now that's settled," she grinned mischievously, "time to pay me back for all the six years we've missed." She pulled Luz into another kiss, this time much fiercer and passionate than the last one, with her messing up Luz's hair, digging her claws through her back, and Luz pushing Amity to the ground and to fight back.

Amity pulled back, "don't worry," she giggled, running a hand through Luz's hair, "I'm not going _anywhere_." 

***

At the far side of the camp, Amity's familiar— the golem, watched as the two lovebirds made out. In its hand a small spider— a shock spider crawled out. _Good job_ it thought as it wiped the cement it used to cover the spider's abdomen, one that made it look like a Gorgon spider. It took a quick look at its hand and quickly noticed one was smaller than the other. It shook its head, covering Amity's hand in stone _did_ have its own consequences, but those were problems with easy solutions

It grabbed a small pebble laying around and absorbed it, returning its smaller hand to its original size. The golem looked at Amity and Luz again, its mouth curling up to a smile.

A sigh of relief exited it as it praised itself for its ingenious plan to finally end his master's streak of stupidity. Finally she would stop dropping all her idiotic problems on it and allow the poor golem to finish its tasks.

Lifting its head up high in victory, it took large strides towards the campfire, ready to resume working on its tasks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One word. Lumity.
> 
> So I changed a bit of the last dialogue to make it seem less like they had sex at the end. This is a teen rated fic, can't have that here XD


End file.
